Gentleman Scholar’s “The Trials and Tribulations of Being a Skeleton” Animated Short Makes Me Really Glad I’m Not One

It's possible that being a literal skeleton has some perks… but generally, it seems like it would kind of suck. In case you’re looking for details, Gentleman Scholar’s animated short “The Trials and Tribulations of Being a Skeleton” illustrates exactly why I’m immensely glad I only have a skeleton, as opposed to actually being one. I mean, seriously, you guys. So many everyday things just become so overwhelmingly complicated when you’re just a bag of bones. The struggle is real.

First formed in 2010, Gentleman Scholar describes itself as “a band of like-minded storytellers and solution-driven artists.” The production company has worked together for the past four years telling clever, creative, and occasionally cheeky stories through standalone videos, ad campaigns, and more — and their latest, Halloween-themed video might just be my favorite thing they’ve produced so far. Maybe it’s because I have a weird sense of humor, but I find “Trials and Tribulations” hilarious; I also, however, find it strangely affirming. Even if we’re not literal skeletons, we’ve all had days like this little guy’s — y’know, the type where everything seems to be going wrong. The worst part is that the smaller and seemingly more insignificant each incident (spilled coffee, falling up rather than down the stairs, and so on), the worse it feels. But hey, if even skeletons get the blues, at least we can all commiserate together, right?

Here are just a few of the things our boney buddy has some issues with; check out the full video below.

Gravity

It’s kind of hard to pull yourself together when you don’t have any tendons.

Mondays

Looking forward to that Monday cup of coffee? Too bad it’ll just go right through you. Literally. And then it’ll probably end up getting lapped up by an errant cat, because adding insult to injury is what Mondays do best.

Sports

Ouch.

Travel

…Awkward.

But hey, at least taking well-framed selfies has never been easier, right?